shane@detailedreflections

How the water reacts after being cleaned is the biggest indicator. And that it didn’t change once we started polishing with regular polishes. I reached out to a few companies with the VIN to try to see what coating it was, but had no luck finding it. It was definitely a decent product though.

Thank you! Working on it. Just picked up some new lenses so I’m trying new things. One of these days I’d like to dedicate some time to really learning photography...just need more time in the day! And now I have my eyes set on a long telephoto lens just because I want it! Eventually I’ll cave in and order it.

Then we were back at that Mustang GT350. The wheels and calipers are coated, the paint polished out and there's the first coat of ceramic down on it. Monday afternoon it's scheduled for it's final coats and then it'll be home on Tuesday.

Well, we were back at it again this weekend. This time we had a Mazda 3 come in for our entry level coating. This coating is most similar to Adam's in that it applies in a single layer and is topped with a spray. It's actually rated at five years of durability with proper maintenance. We had a ton of work, so only grabbed a quick shot of it! After that, we did some coating maintenance on a Volvo S60 R Design. This coating is actually an Adam's coating we installed roughly a year ago. He brings his vehicle to us every six months for maintenance.

Any serious detailer, or even hobbyist should keep plastic blades around. They’re beyond useful for a number of things. We go through our share.

The absolute best way to clean door jambs is steam and APC. The two combined get rid of the nasty grime that gets built up in them. Otherwise APC alone and be ready to scrub a bit and go through some towels.

We use them all the time. And you’ll still want generous lube and light pressure.

We have installed in some cooler temperatures. It just changes the curing time a bit in that it will take longer.

Tar and adhesive remover or goo gone and a plastic razor blade. Or steam.

No. One layer of sealant is all you need. But you need an hour between the next step...glaze or wax.

Paint sealant is approximately one hour between layers. Brilliant Glaze has no cure time. Revive is a polish, so no cure time. And Americana can buff once it hazes.

Here are some teasers after polishing. So far the wheels and calipers are coated. Wheels reinstalled. Paint decontaminated and polished out. Tomorrow evening the first layer of coating is installed. Enjoy!

It delends really on the product. What products specifically are you asking about?

Thanks man! I realized my dream of being a firefighter ten years ago. So I have that going for me. And for having a decent life for myself and my family. A McLaren is the cost of another home...my daughter is on her way to college next year so we were done. Then DCF gave us my wife’s cousins four children...and we still don’t know if it’s permanent. They really shouldn’t go back. But with twenty years of my career left and a baby...it rewrites much of our future plans and goals. Might have to sacrifice the want for the greater good! Maybe Detailed Reflections will continue its growth and it can be a business expense! I’m not sure we will see the massive growth we had this year again next year though. We will see...

Pads should be straight forward compared to what you normally use. Same with compounds and polishes. My biggest advice is to let the machine/pad/polish do the work. DO NOT use extra pressure like you would a regular polisher. It just doesn’t have that kind of horsepower. We have never used a wool pad on ours. All foam. We use Lake Country Force pads for the nano.

Thanks! We will do our best to do the car justice! Can’t wait to see the mclaren photos. Mclaren is my dream car. I’m not sure I’ll ever get one, especially with all the family stuff going on right now though. But that’s the car I want more than any other. I’d even be happy just to put one in the shop to work on...for now!

Hope that awesome garage is coming along! And that it left some budget for us to do our magic on that car of yours! Beers soon?

Your nano has a million uses. Anything in particular you’re trying to figure out?

Its up to you really. You could probably get away with just a finishing polish and resealing it up again. And I would pick up a “do not wash” mirror hanger. At that point if they mess it up, it’s on them to fix it. We give one to every client who gets a coating done since they’re harder to fix.

I hope you get to use one. If you’re in the area ever, you can try ours. I don’t think this kind of polisher versus the nano is an “either or” situation. The nano is super versatile and awesome for what it does. This is that next level of areas that won’t even get. We usually use our nano with the 2” pad. This goes to 1/2” I believe. Hope you get your hands on one. The investment wasn’t bad at all.

How much lubrication you need when using clay is variable. It depends on heat largely as warm surfaces dry it and take away its lubrication properties. It sounds like you did use quite a bit. For a more economical lube, use diluted rinseless wash. It’s far cheaper. For pads, that’s also a variable based on the condition of the paint. Some vehicles pads seem to last forever. On others they get chewed up rapidly. The black is contamination usually that the pad/polish is pulling off. Once it starts looking like that, it’s time to change it. I always suggest more towels/pads than you think you’ll need. You will use them. Nice work.

This was way cheaper than the nano, provided you have a polisher to power it. We have a nano and use it a ton. This will just bring us to that next level around emblems as needed or to polish out exhaust tips or painted calipers. And food for thought if you’re building a business, you need to do things to set yourself apart from other detailers. There’s a lot of competition out there from other business and those with a detailing “business” who are really hobbyists doing it on the side for cash. There is nothing wrong with people who do that, it’s how I started. But you’re also competing on price at that point and those guys can (and usually will) do it much cheaper since they just want to make money, not to sustain a business and all of it’s expenses. One way we combat that is to say what sets us apart from others. And that’s an investment in our equipment and training that makes it worth the extra premium to come to us. If you’re looking to grow your business, set yourself apart and work your media from that angle. The whole hobbyist/professional pricing strategy could be a whole separate discussion in itself. Both have merits, and both can produce the results. They just both have different mindsets in how business is run and what is needed to get there. Sorry for my long winded reply.

@galaxy you’re welcome to judge away. I’m confident we will do it justice and then a little bit more. It is in for our flagship coating throughout...

I wish people would pay for true paint corrections. That’s why we polish in stages. True paint correction is hourly. And for us it’s about $85/hour.

It is similar priced. I purchased some extra pads and attachments so we would have them without reordering. They’re essentially wear items. We didn’t use the DeWalt rotary much since I’m not a big fan of it. We did order the new Rupes which should arrive early next month. That will be our big cutting polisher. In the spring I’m considering another Rupes 15, this time it’ll be the mk3. The 15 is the most grabbed polisher, so two might be nice. In the meantime this will allow us to do some different things. The cost of the tool isn’t bad, especially if you have a polisher you can convert. And it only enhance the product we can deliver. Is this something I see being used every job? No, but when it’s used, it’ll be well worth it!